ro-dance...

i had read that chickens or outdoor animals could generate other wildlings that might not particularly be invited to the party. with fowl, i was amped (& keeping my eye out) for birds of prey, snakes, or maybe even foxes (although i’ve heard some crazy howls late at night…coyotes?) nevertheless, i was a bit unprepared for the chewed food bag & obvious fecal matter that littered the (closed…only to people, obviously) shoppe in the back yard a month or two back. rats? vermin?

i am a hapless organizer, so the chicken yum yum bag that was sealed, for sake of flys/insects, was left vulnerable to chewers. i never thought about that! after the first week of seeing the evidence, the hubs went out & grabbed a huge “rubbermaid” type container to house the feed. whew. that’s over. um, not so much.

 

those crafty buggers. but what were they? surely ginormous rats on a mission to terrorize our shoppe (our lives!), chew all whatevers available; leave their track, but never to be found. i’m not gonna lie. i was…intrigued. “my, but what big teeth you have!” except that i was a little scared each morning as i went to lift the lid & scoop when i fed the girls.

the hubs said trap. & i about died. “no, you can’t kill it!” rolling his eyes at my tree hugging self, he explained, a trap…they apparently make live traps…as in no harm to the animal. i don’t know these things. geesh, i wasn’t born in that catch it or eat it or mount it mentality! anyhoo, i agree to the setting of said “traps.” (he’s cute about it actually, he likes to pretend that i’m the bleeding heart, but he doesn’t really want to hurt a living thing either…unless it’s a zombie, of course! which wouldn't be living, i guess...so much to learn. & moving on...)

so, these contraptions are set…first with my veggie, soy protein tofurkey. not a single nibble…hmph, well, i like it. & then with cheese. mice/rats like cheese, right? a whole week goes by. nothing. they are laughing at us all the while leaving special droppings everywhere. plus, we are still not exactly sure what we’re dealing with. until one night, the hubs yells out, “come here, quick...they’re cute as hell!” oh my goodness, we actually catch the scurry of teeny feet…3 mousekins?…adorable. i am smiling so big that i forget that these guys have been causing such melee. yet, an issue because they are still running amuck. mind you, the cheese is gone…door, still open. & now they are finding their way into the potting soil & lawnmower bag…nesting?

i see you, you little misfit!

 

fast forward to this week, when 3 itty bitties are finally caught by way of bologna. bologna! after weeks, we decide to play this random meat (of which the monkey loves) in the trap, just because. hours later…bam…a 3 for one!  wow. i am…wow. whatever works, right?! so, what to do, what to do? let’s keep ‘em! i know, they’re a small colony of what’s out there (the hubs swears he hears more), but we have a humongous aquarium home to keep meeses…no, scout, you cannot have them! & i could never kill an animal, but i can give them a very good home & lots of noms & veggies that they don’t have to scavage for. am i wrong? so, what do i do? release them in the back yard & have the same issue? bop ‘em on the head? (no way!)

 

no. my purpose as a momma remains as i too, (apparently) raise small, hyper, wild, jumping rodents. anybody want a mouse? (far better pet than an evil hamster…just saying, from experience!)

oh, & the karma police have got to reward me with some bunnies now, dagnabbit!